Gun perforator



g- 1940- e. F. TURECHEK I 2,210,192

GUN PERFORATOR Filed March 13, 1939 INVENTOR GEORGE F. Tum/15K BY UA- A TTORNEY Patented Aug. 6, 1940 I UNITED "STATES PATENT orrics GUN PERFORATOR George F. Turecliek, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Lane-Wells Company, Los Angeles, Calif.,

a corporation of Delaware Application March 13, 1939, Serial No. 261,641

6 Claims.

ranged that the gun body reinforces the gununits against the explosive pressures generated within the gun units when they are fired;

Second, to provide a gun perforator of this class which, by reason of the fact that the gun body reinforces the gun unit, enables the gun unit to be made particularly compact and readily transported;

Third, to provide a gun perforator which is particularly easy to clean and reload, and is so arranged that, if desired, only the additional cartridges and bullets need be carried;

Fourth, to provide a gun perforator of the removable gun unit type which is an improvement on my preceding patent, No. 2,092,294, in that the distance between centers of adjacent gun units may be reduced and a larger number of such gun units carried in a gun body of given length and weight;

Fifth, to provide a gun perforator wherein the pressure exerted on the gun unit, tending to force it from the gun body, is limited to the area of the powder charge, thus minimizing the strain imposed on the threaded connection provided between the gun unit and body; and

Sixth, to provide a gun perforator' which incorporates a novel means of electrically connecting the several gun units so that they may be fired in sequence.

Seventh, to providea gun perforator having removable gun units adapted to fit into a gun body and so arranged that the gun body serves to support the gun unit against expansion when an explosive charge within the gun unit is detonated, the inner end of the gun unit fitting the walls of the gun body in such a manner that the force of such explosion is transmitted directly thereto.

With the above and other objects in view, as may appear hereinafter, reference is directed to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of my gun perforator shown in position in a well-bore;

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view thereof, through 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of one of the gun units removed from the gun;

Fig re 4 is an end elevational view thereof; and

(cl. lat-0.5)

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through 5--5 of Figure 3.

My invention is preferably incorporated in a gun perforator which comprises generally a body I, at the lower end of which is-suspended a cushion chamber 2 and at the upper end of which is provided a controller case 3 which, in turn, is suspended from a cable head 4 provided at the lower end of a conductor core cable 5. The gun body is provided with a plurality of laterally directed sockets, designated la, opening in opposite directions in alternation, each socket receiving a gun unit 6.

Each gun unit comprises a barrel 1, the outer I portion of which is externally threaded, as indicated by 8, to coact with corresponding threads provided at the outer portion of the socket la. At the inner end of the threaded portion 8 the gun barrel is reduced in diameter, forming a shoulder 9 which confronts a shoulder ll) of said socket l a. Inwardly of the shoulder 9 the gun barrel is frusto-conical, as indicated by H, and the corresponding portion of the socket la is likewise frusto-conical in conformity, so that the inner portion ll of the barrel is completely supported or reinforced by the gun body.

The gun-barrel 1 is provided with a bore I 2 and a counterbore I: which receive, respective1y, a bullet l4 and a cartridge IS. The cartridge may be of the, construction more particularly disclosed in Patent No. 2,092,317 in that it comprises a case of insulating material having contacts 16 at its ends connected by a fusible wire ll.

The bullet I4 is provided at its inner end with a shear disc ill, the periphery of which bears against the shoulder I9 formed between the bore l2 and counterbore IS. The shear disc I8 is preferably spot-welded to the bullet and serves to restrain the bullet not only before ignition of the powder charge, but also for an instant after said ignition, so that the pressure in the counterbore l3 builds up sumciently to impart a high velocity to the bullet. One of the contacts I 8 of the cartridge [5 is grounded to the shear disc III while the other contact located at the inner end of the gununit is attached to a contact, strip 20 which extends across the end of the cartridge and down a ruditact with the pin II and pin 22, the contact strip 20 is provided with a coating of insulating material 24. Such insulation may be a dipped or applied coating, or may be an oxide coating such as may be formed on aluminum. The contact strip may be extremely thin and the groove in which it fits accommodates the strip very snugly.

The shoulder i formed between the threaded outer portion and the tapered inner portion of the gun unit socket receives an insulation ring 25, preferably of slightly yieldable material, upon which is suitably secured a contactor ring 26.

The gun body is provided with a pair of longitudinally extending conductor passages 21, each or which communicates with alternate gun units through lateral passages 28 intersecting the sockets adjacent the shoulders iii. A plurality of conductors 29 are threaded through the passages 2?, each one corresponding to a gun unit and having a lead extending laterally through the corresponding lateral passage 2% and electrically connected to the conductor ring 26. Opposite such lateral passages 28 the passages 27 may be provided with openings adapted to be sealed by removable plugs 39 to facilitate wiring of the gun body.

The several conductors 29 extend to the top of the gun body and are suitably connected with a controller which, for the purposes of this application, is conventional and more fully set forth in Patents Nos. 2,062,974 and 2,048,451. The gun unit is sealed against water intrusion by means of a sealing disc 3i provided at the outer end of the gun barrel i2 and by a sealing ring 32 set into a retainer portion 33 formed at the outer end of the-gun unit socket.

To prevent grounding of contact It at the backend of the cartridge l5 an insulation plate 34 is provided at the inner end of the gun unit socket.

The gun units 6 may be made up with the cartridges and bullets in place and used interchangeably in a gun'body. In such a case the gun units are preloaded and carried in trays along with the gun body on the service truck. On the other hand, the bullet l4 and cartridge l5 may be readily and quickly inserted into the gun unit, and the contact strip 20 may be placed in position easily; consequently these elements only may be supplied with the gun perforator body and its gun barrels I. It should be borne in mind, of course, that as soon as the bullet has fired, the gun-bore and counterbore fill up with well fluid and mus be thoroughly cleaned after each trip. a

When the cartridge is discharged the pressure built up is transmitted by the wallsof the conical portion I I to the body I, the walls of such conical portion withstanding very little of the force so generated. Also, it should be noted that the pressure area, tending to force the gun unit from its socket, is limited to the diameter of the counterbore I3 and is not exerted over the entire thread diameter of the gun unit. Consequently, extremely high pressures may be built up inside the eounterbore without danger of blowing the gun unit from the body. Furthermore, by reason of the fact that electrical connection is at the side of the gun unit, rather than at the back, as, for example, in Patents Nos. 2,062,974 and 2,062,975, the maximum length of barrel is obtained for a given body diameter. This is of material importance inasmuch as the velocity and, therefore, the energy stored up in the bullet I5 is iglcreased in proportion to the length of the barr Various changes and alternate arrangements may be made within the scope of the appended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent in the invention as broadly as the prior art permits.

1 claim:

1. In a gun perforator adapted to be suspended in a well casing and discharge bullets laterally therethrough: a gun body having a laterally directed socket threaded at its outer portion and tapering at its inner portion; and a gun unit adapted to screwthread into said socket and having a conical end adapted to conform to and be supported by the tapering walls of said socket, said gun unit having a bore therethrough and a cartridge chamber within its conical end adapted to receive, respectively, a bullet and explosive cartridge.

2. In a gun perforator adapted to be suspended in a well casing and discharge bullets laterally therethrough: an explosive-resisting gun body having a laterally directed socket including a tapered inner end; and a gun unit including a tapered inner end portion conforming to and supported by the tapered inner end of said socket, a cartridge chamber within said conforming portion of said gun unit and a projectile bore continuing from said chamber and means for holding said gun unit in said socket.

3. In a gun perforator adapted to be lowered into a well casing and discharge bullets laterally therethrough: a gun body having a laterally directed socket provided with a tapered inner end; electrical contact means mounted in said pocket outwardly of said inner end; a gun unit adapted to fit said socket, including a tapered portion conforming to the inner end of said socket, a cartridge chamber within said tapered portion, and a bullet bore extending outwardly from said chamber; and electrical conductor means carried by said gun unit for connecting said contact means with a. cartridge contained within said chamber.

4. In a gun perforator adapted to be lowered into a well casing and discharge bullets laterally therethrough: a gun body having a laterally directed socket provided with a tapered inner end; electrical contact means mounted in said socket outwardly of said inner end a gun unit having a cartridge chamber and a tapered portion; said tapered portion provided with a rudimentary recess extending from its inner end to a point in proximity to said contact means; and a conductor substantially complementary to said recess extending from said contact means to a cartridge contained in said chamber.

5. In a gun perforator adapted to be lowered into a well casing and discharge bullets laterally therethrough: a gun body having a plurality of laterally directed sockets, each having a tapered inner end and having longitudinal passages oil'- set from, but communicating with, the sockets; conductors threaded through said passages and contact elements electrically associated with said conductors and mounted in said sockets outwardly from said tapered inner ends: a gun unit for each socket, including a tapered portion snugly fitting said tapered inner end, a bore in its outer portion adapted to receive a bullet and a counterbore in its tapered portion adapted to receive an electrically-ignited power cartridge; and a conductor extending from said cartridge alongside of said tapered portion to said contact element.

6. In a gun periorator: a body member having a laterally directed socket; a gun unit-including a barrel having a bullet-receiving bore at its outer portion and a. cartridge-receiving chamber at its inner portion, the walls or said barrel around said bore and the forward end of said cartridge chamber being sufllciently thick to withstand without appreciable flexure the destructive force of the explosive discharged therein, said walls of the gun barrel being reduced in thickness toward the inner end or said chamber and adapted to be supported by the walls-defining the inner end of said socket, the inner end of said chamber being closed bythe inner end of said socket and the inner end or said barrel adapted to expand againstthe walls of said socket to seal against 5 the escape of explosive charge.

GEORGE F. TURECHEK. 

